Larry Thorne is Malibu’s very own “Tomato Whisperer.”
Thorne, whose family has run Thorne Family Farm on Bonsall Drive in Point Dume since 1946, is up every day at 5 a.m. like clockwork, ready to pick, pack and deliver fresh batches of produce.
About 25 acres of the Thorne Farm feature a bounty of fruit trees, strawberry fields and other crops. The rare “purple tomatoes” dangle on vines preciously tended to by Thorne, who talks or “whispers” to the vine-ripe tomatoes his customers favor.
The hues of berries, corn, avocados, herbs, leeks, onions, broccoli, oranges, beans and zucchini add to the agricultural landscape.
Thorne’s father, Albert, started the family farming business in the 1930s, first with a farm in Culver City in 1938, before eventually starting one in Malibu in 1946.
Larry Thorne credits “getting the sleep of the just” as to the reason he gets up every day and keeps the family tradition going.
“There is nothing Hollywood going on here. I just get satisfaction from the site of soil going through the plow,” he joked.
Thorne and his wife, Laurel, grew up in Malibu and raised two children here. Laurel is a teacher at Juan Cabrillo Elementary School.
He attributes long hours, hard work and support from friends and family as secrets to the farm’s success. He also brags that not a single tractor on the farm is less than 50 years old.
His brother, Albert Thorne Jr., handles the mechanics, and close friend Don Rady has helped keep old family farm equipment in good condition.
“They brought the equipment back to life again. Rady literally made the parts that are no longer available for sale out of steel in his garage for us,” said Larry. “It would have cost us over $100,000 to buy [new] equipment needed to do the work I am doing today on the farm.”
Thorne’s products help keep other Malibu businesses working, too, including local markets and restaurants.
“Larry delivers the food himself, so we know him well,” said Mike Groton, produce manager of PC Greens. “…Their strawberries and blueberries are the best.”
And many customers request Thorne produce, Groton said.
“We feature a ‘Larry Thorne Chard Salad’ right now,” said Helene Henderson, chef and owner of the Malibu Farm Cafe. “We can’t wait for his tomatoes to come back into season at the end of July.”
“Whatever he grows, we want,” she added.
Thorne sells and delivers to a number of local businesses, but residents are also encouraged to visit the farm on Saturdays to pick their own produce from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“My neighbors walk down here from their house and buy fresh vegetables every day,” he said.
Mary Carbonniere, who works as community relations manager at Vintage Grocers, said the market relies on local growers like Thorne because larger produce companies tend to sell products that have been genetically modified.
“[By buying locally,] you get the freshest food available. A fresh vegetable or fruit has the most nutrients when it is freshly picked and eaten. There is no experimentation with food, it is organic,” she said.
